Luka Doncic has 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, Kyrie Irving scores most of his 21 after halftime and defensive-minded Dallas prevails, 101-90. James Harden (21 points) paces the Clippers, but Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have little impact.
Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, and the suddenly defensive-minded Dallas Mavericks took a chippy 101-90 victory over the Clippers on Friday night for a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.
The Mavs rode the same defense that gave them home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in L.A., and won in Dallas three years after losing all three first-round games on their floor in a seven-game loss to the Clippers. Game 4 is Sunday afternoon in Dallas.
Rookie Dereck Lively II scored all 13 of his points in the first half and Daniel Gafford, his tag-team partner as a dunker and rim protector, had an emphatic block of a dunk attempt by Paul George early in the fourth quarter while Dallas was taking control for good in a game with five technical fouls, a flagrant foul and two ejections.
